Animorph
by Streamrose
Summary: My first story EVER! plz R&R, but no flames, I beg thee. A g irl outside of New York discovers her new power. Yet she has a past kept secret from her. Will Xavier tell her, or will Magnito find them first? COMPLETE! MY ACCOUNT IS DISCONTINUED!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Kate was running from some guy holding a club-like stick………again. She'd let someone see her natural form………again. Kate had thin light blue fur with cat-like ears on top of her head and a cat-like tail. She'd had to stay hidden since she was 8. When she'd been born, her parents didn't want her (big surprise) and she'd been in an orphanage. She had been mistreated from then on. She was fed and cared for, but no one liked her, nonetheless loved her. She didn't mind, but it just bugged her. So when she was eight, she'd ditched the orphanage. She was good at hiding, being a small 13 year old. She wasn't sure what she was or why she was like this, but she kept her cool about it. She had a nice hideout on the outskirts of New York. She had taken disused schoolbooks and learned from them, so she had an average education. She also had books to read.

The guy chasing her gave one last shout and gave up. She had more energy and metabolism, so she ran to her hideout and settled down to read one of her favorite book series: Animorphs, By K. A. Applegate. She was reading about how a character was tuning into a Hork Bajir, a 7-foot tall bladed alien, when suddenly she felt itchy all over. When she reached up to scratch, her skin was scaly. She looked at her body, which had begun to grow the dark green skin of a Hork Bajir. As she watched, she grew taller and blades spurted out of her calves, wrists, elbows, and on top of her head.

She almost freaked, but then she thought, "_This must be another thing with the blue. What's it called, though?_" She knew she was like the Animorphs, but she didn't need to absorb DNA and she could turn into fictional animals. "_Well, finding food will be easier, but why couldn't I do this before? Oh, well, time for some human skin again." _She concentrated on her human self, and she felt the changes begin again. Within seconds, she was human again.

Meanwhile, at a mansion in New York, Professor Charles Xavier took off the helmet to his device, Cerebro. Cerebro had informed him of a new mutant just outside New York. He wheeled out of the Cerebro chamber and rode the elevator to the main floor lobby. " Beast, Kurt. I need you to ready the Blackbird." He said to a big blue man who walked on his knuckles who had immense strength and another blue mutant who had two toes, three fingers, a pointed tail, and pointed ears who could teleport.

"But why us?" Said Kurt with a slight German accent.

"Because," Said Professor "She is blue, and has just discovered her mutation. By the brain waves I'm receiving, she's relatively calm, yet ignorant of exactly what she is. She was born blue, so she is used to that, but not her morphing power."

"Man, what is it with mutants and blue?" Said Kitty Pryde, a who could walk through walls and other things. "That's, like, four now. With Mystique, Kurt, Beast and now this chick, we could have, like, a band or something."

This got a laugh out of everyone. Kurt and Beast left the table to go with Professor to the Blackbird, the X-Men's jet. The X-Men were a group of mutants who fought for giving mutants a better name. They also taught young mutants to control their powers.

The Blackbird rose out of the blackboard outside of the mansion and took off north. A new mutant was coming to Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

Kate was roasting; she couldn't believe it, a rabbit. She was cooking it on the fire she'd made as a dragon. A dragon!! When it seemed to be cooked, she took it off the fire so it would cool. Suddenly she heard engines. She looked up and saw a big black jet bearing down on her camp. She quickly morphed a mouse, and though the mouse brain inside her said RUN! Runrunrunrunrun! She stayed put. The jet set down and a bald man in a wheelchair, a blue guy who resembled a gorilla, and another blue kid who looked kind of like some sort of demon came out of it. The man held his fingers to his temples and a voice sounded inside Kate's head.

_"Come on out; we won't harm you." _The bald man said telepathically.

_"And I should trust you because...?"_ She responded.

_"Because we understand your position. You've seen whom I'm with. Now please let me talk to you as a human and not a mouse."_

Kate demorphed and stood up. "Okay, now state your business." She said; quoting a favorite book character of hers from a book titled _A Long Way From Chicago_

The blue kid said, "Cut the strict Grandma Dowdel act and listen." Kate could tell he was restraining giggles.

"I'll listen to anyone who reads Richard Peck." She said, breaking into a wide grin.

"I am Professor Charles Xavier, and I run an institute for people like us. Mutants with gifts like yours. Not exactly like yours, but gifts all the same." Said the man in the wheelchair. "Hank McCoy here has immense strength, but he prefers to be called Beast by the kids. Kurt will give you a demonstration on his power."

There was a puff of blue-black smoke and Kurt, the kid, was gone; seconds later he reappeared at Kate's side.

"Well you already know what I can do. What else besides training do you have at this institute? Do I have to live here any more? Will you enroll me in normal school?" Kate said in an exited rush.

"A lot, no, and yes." Answered Beast. "We know you've been kept up in your education, so you'll be in eighth grade, along with Kurt and some other students."

After a moment of consideration, Kate looked at each mutant in turn and said "I'll come with you, but if I don't like it, which I doubt will happen, I'm coming back here." With that, she entered the jet, the others following. The jet took off, heading to the mansion.

Hiding in the shadows off to the side, the blue metamorphic mutant named Mystique scowled. She didn't like the idea of telling her boss that another mutant had joined Xavier, especially not this one.

The jet touched down in the hanger under the mansion. A woman with white hair was there to meet them.

"This is Ororo Monroe, or Storm." Said Professor Xavier. "She teaches you to use your powers better here at our institute."

"Hello. Professor, I need to talk to you for a second. Kate, Kurt and Beast will take you upstairs." Replied Storm.

Xavier looked puzzled and said "All right Ororo, what is it?" He wheeled off after Storm.

Kurt and Beast led Kate to an elevator. Beast put his hand on a pad inside attached to the wall. The elevator immediately started to go up.

"We usually cook great meals here, but seeing as it's the first Sunday of the month, we took a break and ordered pizza." Said Beast

"Ya, we don't even have to eat at the table. We can just lounge around and watch TV. It's great! And the best part is, we do it every month!" Said Kurt.

"Yummmm. Pizza. I haven't had pizza in a LONG time. What kind did you order?" Said Kate

"At least two of everything. And we almost never have leftovers." Beast laughed.

They had reached the entrance lobby of the mansion. Kids were running into a room off to the right. Kate guessed it was the dining room. An older with long red hair came up to them.

"Hi. You must be Kate. Professor told us about you when he found you on Cerebro. Cerebro is a machine that detects mutants when there powers are activated. I'm Jean Grey." She said. "I'm telekinetic, I can move stuff with my mind."

"Wow." Said Kate. "Wanna see what I can do?" Without waiting for an answer she began to morph an Andalite.

Andalites are another species of alien. It's body looked like that of a delicate blue deer, yet the torso was that of a human man with a light coat of blue fur. The hands, however, had seven fingers. The head was shaped like a human's with pointed ears and no mouth. Because they had no mouths, Andalites ate trough they're hooves. In place of a nose, there was an oval with three vertical slits in it. It had two eyes on its face, and another two mounted on stalks on the top of its head. It could see in all directions. Yet the weirdest part about the Andilite was its tail. Its tail was long and blue like the rest of it, with a wicked looking triangular blade on the end of it.

Jean, Kurt, Beast, and all the other X kids who could see her gaped. One came in, saw Kate, and screamed. The scream attracted everybody.

"What is that thing?" an older boy with red tinted shades said.

_Who are you calling a thing buddy? _Kate said in thought speak. Before anyone could blink, her tail blade was at his throat. Then, she demorphed in front of everyone, smiling.

"Whoa." Echoed around the room. The andalite was the best thing they'd ever seen. The same girl who had screamed dropped her pizza.

"I'm Scott, not buddy. In sessions and missions I'm Cyclops. I shoot heatless beams out of my eyes. That's why I need these shades." The guy said.

"So, your, like, the one the Professor went to get." The who'd dropped her pizza said. "Nice entrance."

"Thanks." Kate said, "I can morph any animal I wish, even fictional ones, like the Andalite you just saw, but morphing humans is out of the question."

"Oh. I can phase through stuff like walls and all that. My name's Kitty, or Shadowcat in training sessions. This is Bobby, Amara, Ray, Sam, Jamie, Roberto, Rouge, and Evan. Bobby makes ice, Amara can project heat waves, Ray makes electric energy, Sam can fly FAST, Jamie multiplies himself, Roberto uses solar energy, Rouge absorbs life force, powers and memories when she makes skin contact, and Evan has spikes. You'll fit right in." Said Kitty, pointing to who she introduced.

"Show me to the pizza, and I'm happy." Kate said, and followed Kitty to the dining room to get pizza.

Later, as she was getting to know the X kids better, Jean came up to Kate and said "Hey, Storm, Scott, and I went back to your hideout and got all your stuff. Come see your room."

Taken aback, Kate said "Room?"

"Yeah, where did you think you were going to sleep?" Jean said, laughing.

Kate followed Jean down a hallway and stopped in front of an open door. She stood for a moment and gaped. The room had sheets, a desk, a tall window in the back wall with a garden view, a bookshelf with all of her books, and an inflatable chair.

"You're lucky. You don't have to have a roommate. Tabitha just moved out, so you're on your own." Jean said "G'night. P.J.s are in the second center drawer down in the dresser."

Kate changed and crawled into the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. She'd barely had time to pull the soft, fluffy quilt over herself before she fell soundly asleep.

When she woke up the next morning, Kate looked in her closet, rummaged in some drawers, and finally chose a Happy Bunny shirt that said "Cute but psycho, things even out" and jeans. Going down the hall she met up with Kitty and Rouge. They were arguing.

"Oh, yeah. Well you snore, little miss pretty." Rouge snapped.

Kitty opened her mouth to say something, but thought twice and shut her mouth. Turning to Kate she said, "Cryptic darkness here was talking in her sleep."

Looking at Rouge, Kate realized the term "cryptic darkness" perfectly described Rogue. She was wearing black combat boots, tight black pants with a purple-black mini skirt over them, a black belly shirt with black gossamer over it, black gloves and wrist bands, and a thick black choker necklace. She was the definition of "cryptic darkness", but she put the outfit together well.

While walking down the hall, Kate passed a mirror. Looking in it at her blue fur, she started to wonder how she would be able to go to school.

As if in answer to her question, the professor wheeled into the hall in front of them.

"Ah, Kate. Just the person I was looking for. In order for you to go to school, you need to put on a normal appearance. This," he said, holding out a watch, "is an image inducer. Put it on and press the button on the bottom."

Kate did so, and as soon as she pressed the button, her skin became free of fur and normal. Her tail and ears vanished. "Professor!" She said, amazed. "Did you invent this?"

Smiling, he said, "Yes, I invented it. Kurt has one, too. You can still use your powers while you have them on. Go on and get breakfast. When you're going to leave Hank will have your backpack. All you need for school is in it."

While eating breakfast, pancakes, toast, eggs and sausage, Kitty leaned over and said to Kate "Just an F.Y.I., our principal, Ms. Darkholme, is Mystique. She is Magneto's head mutant. She can turn into anyone she likes, but in her natural form she's easy to recognize. She's blue with orange hair. Magneto is a mutant out against all of humanity. He bends metal with his mind. He's one bad dude."

"Whoa. We've got one of our top enemies AS OUR PRINCIPAL! Now I have a really good reason to stay out of the principals office." Kate said, making Kitty laugh.

"You joke about everything, don't you?" She said.

"That and sarcasm are the only free services I offer."

This brought laughs from around the table. The only one who didn't laugh was Kurt. He just sat there looking sullen and picking at his eggs. Kate decided to ask him about it after school. Suddenly a cry of "C'MON GUYS!" came from the front door. The rush of kids getting out of seats followed and all the X-kids went to get the packs from Beast and get to the SUV, Jeans convertible, and the other vehicles available.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Kate went through the school day with ease. Math and chemistry came easily because of her previous studying. At the end of the day she found Kurt. He had been talking to Principal Darkholme.

"What was bugging you at breakfast?" Kate asked him. "Is there something wrong with Mystique and you?"

"Oh, yeah. There's some thing major wrong with Mystique and I. Rogue, too. Mystique is my mother. She abandoned me when I a baby. She adopted Rogue when Rogue was four. She said she's sorry, but some things can NEVER be forgiven." Kurt said scornfully.

"Oh, gosh Kurt, I'm so sorry. How did you find out?" Kate said.

"Rogue started having dreams after she absorbed Mystiques memories. In the dreams, Mystique was running from Magneto and some wolves. A wolf got to her and she-she dropped me into a" he paused, grimacing, "A river. After the Professor investigated, I got a message telling me to be at a construction sight at sunset. I went and Mystique showed herself to me and called me son. I demanded she tell me what went on. Then the brotherhood decided to butt in right then, so Mystique had to go away."

"Well, there's Jean. She's taking me back to the mansion." Kate said, seeing the convertible pull up.

"Meet you there." Kurt said, and ported away.

Kate got into the car, and Jean headed towered the mansion. On the way there Scott said, "Today is your first training session in the danger room. When we get there the Professor will explain what you're going to do. My first session was to shoot targets Jean fired at me."

"And my first session was to fire targets at Scott." Jean said, smiling at the memory.

When they reached the mansion, the Professor was there with a uniform for Kate. It was dark blue with yellow gloves and black boots. It had red Xs on the shoulder pads, belt buckle and knee pads. It was skin tight to allow better morphing. Kate changed, and then headed down to the danger room. The illusion was that of a warehouse.

"The object of this session is to get past the guards without setting off the alarm and save the hostage, Kurt." Xavier's voice said over the intercom. "Go."

The room grew dark, and Kate started towered the warehouse door. Suddenly a guard rounded the corner. Kate crouched in a shadow, and when the guard passed, she morphed an Andalite. Kate started to sneak up on him, when suddenly he turned. The flat of Kate's tail blade met his head, and he went down. Kate demorphed and silently continued around the building. She was able to come up behind the guard pacing in front of the door. A swift movement of an Andalite blade and the guard was unconscious and the door open.

Continuing down the stairs, Kate met up with one more guard locking a door. This one saw her and pulled out his nightstick. Kate morphed a gorilla and blocked the blow from the stick. Then she reached up and conked him on the head. _Night night _She said, and turned towered the door. She morphed a roach and crawled under.

When she demorphed and stood up, she saw Kurt chained to a pole, gagged, and unconscious. An Andalite tail wouldn't be able to cut the metal, so she morphed a Hork Bajir. Kneeling down, she was about to cut the chain when Kurt woke up and saw her. He started to scream, but Kate placed a hand over his mouth and said _Shhhh, it's your rescue party _and cut the chain.

Kurt stood, undid his gag, then grabbed Kate' hand. He teleported them up to where Xavier was waiting, in a room attached to the ceiling of the danger room. Storm, Cyclops, and a bug tough looking guy were there, holding ice packs to their heads.

"Geez, what happened to you three?" Kate said.

"We were the guards, kid." The guy answered. "I'm Wolverine."

"What's your p-" Kate had been about to say "power" when Wolverine popped three long metal claws out of each hand. Kate looked at them, amazed.

"I can heal myself, too. Good thing I can, or my head would still be throbbing. I wasn't born with the claws. I can thank SHIELD for them." Wolverine said.

Kate wanted to ask him about SHIELD, but decided to ask Kitty, or Kurt. "Sorry if I hurt anyone. I just did what I had to do to complete the session," She said.

"Yes, and you did it well." Xavier said. "You have perfect control over you morphing, and what the creatures you morph do. As I understand it, when you morph you have the animals instincts in your mind, correct?"

"Yeah, but Hork Bajir are simple creatures, and Andalites are remarkably like us. It's rodents that propose a problem. It's always run, run, run." Kate said.

"Well, we'll train you to easily overcome the instincts of all the animals you can morph. Your next session will be Saturday, with Logan. There's a dance on Friday, otherwise your session would be Friday. Go get some dinner. We cooked this time. Spaghetti." Scott said. "C'mon"

Going down to dinner, Kate was thinking of the thoughtful way Xavier had looked at her in the briefing room. Why had he been so intent in his gaze?

She'd worry about it later. Right now she was focusing on homework and food. Spaghetti. She had NEVER had decent spaghetti. She'd only had cheep stuff at the orphanage. She ate, finished her homework, and then went into her bedroom to read.

As she settled down, she suddenly heard "Hey" from above her. She looked up and saw Kitty's head coming down through her ceiling.

"Ahhhhh!" Kate screamed, startled, and fell off the bed. "Nice entrance. Jeez, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Come on down."

"Sorry I scared you so badly" Said Kitty, coming all the way through the floor and landing on Kate's bed.

"It's okay. I startle VERY easily. Just a thing I have. But I'm not stressed. I'm just terribly, terribly alert." Kate said, getting up and sitting next to Kitty.

"I just wanted to ask you something I've asked almost everyone here. Is it really so bad if I like Lance, even if he works for Mystique?" Kitty said.

"No, just so long as he treats daily life and combat like two different worlds. So, tell me more about whose working for Mystique."

"Oh, alright. Well, there's Lance. He can make the earth beneath him shake, and his nickname is Avalanche. Then there's Todd, who can jump like a toad and has a long green tongue with slime like one, too. We just call him Toad. Pietro, or Qicksilver, has superhuman speed, Fred, or Blob, is HUGE, but it's mostly muscle. Last, there's Wanda, Pietro's sister. She's telepath to the extreme. She s her father for leaving her at an institute for crazy people, but he had to leave her. Her powers were too out of control."

"Yeah, but who is her father?" Kate asked, curious.

"Magneto." Kitty said simply.

"WHAT!!" Kate yelled, nearly falling off the bed again.

"Yes. I'm sure he regrets leaving her every day. Anyway, Todd has this thing for Wanda. It's funny."

"Yeah, I saw Todd trying to flirt with her. She sucker punched him into a locker." Kate said, laughing. "I also talked a little with Todd. He seems to joke a lot. He's got social issues in my opinion."

"Hey, speaking of dating, I saw that guy chemistry, Nik, looking over at you the whole time. I think he's going to ask you to the dance."

"Why? No one knows me, I just got here."

Kitty and Kate talked until 9:30, and then Kate tossed Kitty back up through the floor to her bedroom. She fell asleep relatively quickly.

Then next day, when Kate got out of bed, she stepped on something hard.

"Oh, crud! My inducer!!" She picked it up and put it on. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed that her tail showed. She tucked it into her jeans and hoped it would stay there.

At school, just after her last class, chemistry, the guy Kitty had called Nik came up to her. She leaned against the locker to make sure he wouldn't see her tail.

"Hey." She said, casually.

"You, um, wanna go to, er, the dance on F-Friday with me?" He said, embarrassed. "I know you just got here but-."

"Hold on. I have to pack my homework." Kate said, and bent down to reach the backpack in her bottom locker.

From behind her she heard "Uh, Kate?" in a shocked voice from Nik. Straitening up, she felt her tail brush her leg. It had slipped out of her jeans when she bent down. Luckily, all the other students accept Kitty and Kurt were out of the hall.

"If you want to find another to ask to the dance, you can." She said, her eyes downcast.

"No. No. I understand. You're one of those mutants. I know some normal people, and some fight against them for us, but that's all I know." Nik said quickly. "I never knew we had mutants at Bayville, though."

"Yeah, we do. I'm one of them. I have to wear a thing called and inducer. This is what I look like." She took her inducer off.

"KATE!" Kitty and Kurt both yelled, and started to run towered her.

"What are you thinking? He's not supposed to see you!" Kurt yelled.

"Kurt! It's fine. He actually understands mutants. He's going to the dance with me." Kate said, as calmly as she could, though she could feel herself getting red in the face.

"So that's a yes?" Nik said.

"Of course, Nik. This is Kitty, and this is Kurt. They live at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. I nicknamed it Mutant High."

"Hey, nice choice." She said to Nik.

"Hi. Kitty's just that way. I have to live with her, too." Kurt said. "I need an inducer, too. See." He took his inducer off.

"Cool. What do you guys do?" Nik asked.

Suddenly, Kurt teleported over his shoulder, Kitty stuck her hand through a locker door, and Kate turned into a cat. She then demorphed.

"Nothing much." Kate said, smiling coyly. "So, can you drive?"

"Yeah. I'm in tenth grade. I'll pick you up at six on Friday and we'll go get a pizza. Where do you live?" Nik said, grinning. Kitty and Kurt had ported on home.

"I'll walk you there. You can meet Professor Xavier."

"Kate? Are you coming to the mansion?" Jean said, coming inside the front doors.

"Huh. Yeah. Can you lead Nik to where the mansion is? He's taking me to the dance." Kate said, smiling.

Jean smiled back and said "Sure, c'mon Nik."

After Nik had seen the mansion and assured Kate that he would pay for the pizza, he drove home. Smiling like she'd just gotten a million dollars, Kate went to get dinner. As soon as she entered the dining room, a cry of "Kate's got a date!" rang out. It was Kitty, trying to make her blush.

"Yes, yes I do." Kate said without missing a beat.

"With whom?" Ask Xavier from at the end of the table, a smile on his face.

"A guy named Nik. He's nice. He knows about the mutant sides, too. He'd really like to meet you on Friday night. He'll come pick me up." Kate said, "Oh, by the way, could you fix my inducer? I ally stepped on it, and my tail doesn't go away."

"I'll get to it as soon as I possibly can. There is an extra in Kurt's room if you need it." He said kindly, so Kate would know he wasn't mad at her.

Kate ate her dinner, and started to walk to her room. She passed Xavier's room on the way, and as she passed, she heard Storm's voice issuing from the room.

"Charles, you need to tell her." She said, testily.

"Yes, yes. I know. I just need time; I'll tell her tomorrow." He said, wearily.

"If you don't tell her soon, than I will, Charles." She said, and Kate heard her move towered the door. Kate ran down the hall and out of sight so she wouldn't be found eaves dropping.

Lying in bed, Kate wondered whom Storm and Xavier were talking about. She pondered until she fell asleep.

After school the next day, Kate was reading out on her balcony when she looked up and saw Xavier wheeling towered the park down the street. Kate morphed a hawk and flew down to join him. She landed on the sidewalk in front of his wheelchair and demorphed.

"Hi, Professor!" she said. "Can I come with you?"

Ignoring the grammatical error, Xavier said "Sure you can. I'm just going to the park. It's a favorite place of mine."

It's one of my favorite places, too. Only, I spend time climbing with other squirrels. They're very fun animals."

"I just go for peace, quiet and pondering." Xavier said, smiling.

They soon reached the park, and Kate was about to start climbing trees when she saw an all to familiar face at the far side of the playground.

"Professor, I'd go back. We've got company, and her name is Mystique." Kate said, warningly.

"I can't. My wheelchair controls ore being blocked." He said, fiddling with the controls.

"By what?"

Suddenly, a menacing voice rang out, saying "By me, child. Hello again Charles."

Kate whirled around. A caped figure in a helmet was floating a few feet off the ground. She didn't have a clue who the guy was. She just hoped he wouldn't put up too much of a fight.

Mystique had draw close enough to be within earshot. "Hello, Magneto." She said, smiling cruelly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ani-Who?**

**Chapter Three**

"Mystique, I suggest you leave before I have to make you." Kate said, ready to morph.

"Make me? HA! That's rich, little girl. Magneto, you handle Xavier. I'll make sure this little brat doesn't go anywhere."

"**Kate, you need to make sure Mystique can't help Magneto. I think I can reason with him." Xavier said, turning his chair toward Magneto.**

"**All right, Mystic, lets see who's the better morpher here." Kate said, grinning at Mystique.**

"**The names Mystique, you little squirt." Mystique said, starting to morph Wolverine. **

"**So you want blades, huh? Well you got blades!" Kate said. Then, she started to morph a Hork-Bajir. She started with the green scaly skin, and then grew to seven feet tall. Towering over Mystique, she let the blades sprout from her joints, starting with the blades on her head and smoothly letting them slide out of her skin down her arms and legs.**

**Mystique stood in shock for a moment, and then leaped at Kate, slashing at her legs. Kate jumped up, taking a slash at Mystique's head. She missed, but when she landed, she spun and knocked Mystique off balance using her tail. Mystique managed to cut her arm, but not deeply. **

"So," Mystique panted, slashing out all the while, "you had to join Xavier when Mommy and Daddy abandoned you?"

_**Yeah, but you know all about abandoning kids, don't you Mystique?**_** Kate said, giving Mystique a shallow gash on her leg. She then kicked her down. Morphing a gorilla, Kate got her into a full nelson, rendering her helpless. **

**Looking over Mystique's shoulder however, Kate saw Xavier's wheelchair buck him out. Xavier flipped over backwards and fell to the ground. He stayed there, not moving. This sparked something inside of Kate. Hatred filled her, and her eyes got narrow, misting over red. She morphed an andalite and pressed her tail blade against Mystique's throat. **

_**Magneto!**_** She yelled in a voice that was so full of anger it almost didn't belong to her. **

Magneto, however, ignored her, and prepared to trap Xavier under his wheelchair.

_**MAGNETO!!!**_** She yelled again, louder. **

**Turning, Magneto took in the scene before him. He didn't like what he saw.**

_**Let him go, or she dies.**_** Kate said in thought speech. Her eyes, usually a soft sky blue, were hard chips of ice.**

"You wouldn't kill her. You're just a child. You don't have the nerve." He said, scornfully.

Kate pressed her tail blade against Mystique's neck until blood became her scarlet necklace. _Watch. Me._ Kate said, her voice full of menace.

Magneto seemed to ponder this for a while, and then said, "Release her, and we will leave."

_ And leave us alone from now on?_

"Yes." Magneto said, with a little difficulty, then he and Mystique left, going separate ways.

Once they were out of sight, Kate demorphed and rushed to Xavier. The lengthening shadows made it hard to tell, but she saw that he had a cut on his forehead, and it was still bleeding a little. Kate morphed an elf from a book she had read and muttered the words "Waise heill.", which meant 'be healed', while holding her hand over his cut. The cut disappeared, and Kate gently shook his shoulder. He groaned a bit and made an effort to sit up.

"Wait," Kate said, "I'll get your chair." She got up, wheeled his chair over to him, and helped him get into it.

"Thank you." He said. "We'd best get back to mansion before it gets dark."

When they returned to the mansion, Xavier motioned to Kate to follow him into his room. He went to his desk, and Kate sat down across from him.

"**I suppose you're wondering why that attack happened to night." He said, choosing his words carefully. "It is very hard to explain, but I will try. Please wait until I finish to ask any questions.**

"**It was twelve years ago, and you were only one year old. Your parents' were mutant rights activists, and good fiends of mine. They had been in touch with me and had notified me the day you were born. They new you were a mutant, and I had just gotten the chance to fly to Denver, Colorado, which is where they lived. I went in order to bring assure your parents you could come to my institute, but Magneto had also received word of your birth, and he wanted you to fight for him, by any means necessary. He arrived about a day after I did. He met me at your parents' house. I think it is best for you to see what happened next."**

"**How? How can I **_**see **_**what happened. I was a baby." Kate said, exited at finally knowing were her parents might be.**

"**Just wait." Xavier said, and wheeled over to her. He put his hands around her head, on either side of her temples. He kept them there, about an inch or so away. "Try to relax. I'll probe your mind and send the memory to you directly.**

**Suddenly, Kate's mind was filled with an image, like a movie. She saw a woman and a man standing in a nicely furnished room. They obviously weren't rich or poor. The man had a face that looked exactly like Kate's, and the woman had her hair and eyes. **

"**Thank you for coming Charles. So, do you think our little Kate will be able to have a spot at your institute?" The man, her father, said. Looking down at the bundle he was holding. It was Kate, wrapped in a fluffy pink blanket; her tail was sticking out of it.**

"**Yes, James, I think she will. I'll make sure she will be able visit-" Xavier said. He was about to say 'you' when the door to the house was violently shoved open. Magneto had arrived.**

"**Charles. I thought you would be here. Always gathering students. I'm here to claim this one, however. She will prove valuable. I can teach students too, can't I?" He said with a voice hinting maliciousness. **

"**April, James, I believe you know Eric." Xavier said coldly, his expression hard.**

"**Yes we do. I presented the idea of plastic weapons to the force against him." April said, glaring at Magneto.**

"**Ah, yes. You are both just meddling fools. Now I can take your daughter, and kill you for making me suffer over the years. Petitions, speeches, rebellions, and those weapons! You nearly captured me more than once, and always supporting my old friend Charles. Now it stops; two less humans to stand in my way." Magneto said, his voice dripping with pure loathing.**

"**You're not taking her now, Magnus. She will decide when she comes of an age where she is wise enough to make such a decision." Xavier said, referring to his name for Magneto that he used when they were friends.**

"**I'll take her NOW. She is mine, and I ask only one thing of you. Don't get in my way. I will also take care of her parents. If you interfere, I will be forced to do things I may not want to. Think carefully; that's what that brain of yours is good at."**

"**Charles, you can't get hurt for our benefit!" James said.**

"**Think of the students, Charles. Just-just let him, but on only one purpose." April said, and turned to Magneto, her face strong. "You leave our child be. She doesn't need your shadow looming over her life. Is that clear?"**

"**Crystal. I am not to harm your daughter." Magneto said, his eyes shining at the thought of long awaited vengeance.**

**Turning to Xavier, James handed Kate to him. "Keep her safe. I claim you her official guardian. I have no other family I wish her to go to; and I'd trust you with my own life. Take good care of her." James kissed Kate's forehead and went to stand by his wife. Together they faced Magneto. **

**Then, Xavier's office came back into focus. Kate sat in shocked silence, her eyes stinging and tears forming in the corners. "S-so, he k-killed them?" She asked, her voice breaking.**

**Xavier sat with his eyes closed. "Yes. Only he and I know by what means he did, however. That is not for you to know." He said heavily.**

**Tears rolling slowly down her cheeks, Kate asked "But why didn't you bring me here? Why an orphanage full of regular humans?"**

"**Because you were too young. I thought you could be brought up there and I would claim you when your powers developed. My plan went a bit off when you left the orphanage. It also hid you from Magneto." Xavier rested his head between his thumb and forefinger. Shaking his head, he said, "I still wonder if it was the right decision. I am supposed to be wise, but doubt still fills me. But, you are here now, and safe."**

**Looking at his clock, he said, "You better get to bed. It's late, and you need to be able to go to school."**

**Kate got up and hugged him. "Thank you." She said, and left for bed. She did cry for quite a while, but was happy, now that she new she hadn't been abandoned. The fact that Xavier was legally her father was the best thing she had ever heard.**

**The next morning, when Kate woke up, she found a picture of her mother and father by her bed. She knew Xavier had given it to her. She carried out the school day, happy about last night, and exited about the dance. She saw principal Darkholme walking down the hall. She almost laughed out loud when she saw the cut on her neck, but the glare principal Darkholme gave her stopped her from doing so. In chemistry, she sat next to Nik, talking to him after the test they had. The only reason she was in the 10****th**** grade class was because she was so advanced due to her studiousness at her hideout. **

**Thursday passed, and Friday went the same way**. **That night, she introduced Nik to Xavier. Later, sitting with Nik and eating dinner, she told him about the battle, but not why. She also explained that when they danced, her fingers would be fuzzy because the image inducer only mad a holograph. He understood, and said he loved her outfit. **

**She had borrowed her outfit from Kitty. It was a yellow shirt with a pink jacket over it, with light kaki pants. The dance was semi-formal. **

**At the dance, Kate danced every chance she could with Nik, getting to know him. She talked with Kitty, who had brought Lance. Wanda and Rouge had just come, and the brotherhood boys came, being a little too optimistic. Toad pestered Wanda the whole time, or at lease up to the point when Wanda got sick of him and left. Kate and Nik left early to go to the park. **

**When they got there they sat on the grass, listening to the crickets chirping out their autumn song. **

"**Nik." Kate said. He nodded in response, looking at her. Kate went on "You know when I told you about Mystique and Magneto's attack? Well, there was a reason for that."**

**Kate started to tell the story that Xavier had showed her last night. She didn't cry, and sometime while she was telling the story Nik's hand found hers, reassuring her.**

"**I had no idea." He said, looking at an owl, winging its way overhead.**

"**Me neither. At least I wasn't abandoned." She said, then told Nik "Don't move, just wait." and hooted at the owl overhead. It hooted back, coming down to land next to her. It perched on her arm, because Kate had allowed herself to take on the owl's scent. She and Nik stroked the feathers, and then Kate let him continue his silent flight.**

"**We'd better get back. The dance will be over by now." Nik said, helping Kate up. He drove her home, asking if she could go on a date with him another time. Kate said yes, and went into the mansion. **

**Life had taken a very normal turn for her. With the threat of Magneto gone, the knowledge that Xavier would look out for her, and the prospect of another date, Kate actually enjoyed the session with Logan the next day. She was an X-Kid, and proud to be so.**

**I give all credit of Hork Bajir and Andalites**

**to Ms. K.A. Applegate, and also the elf and**

**the phrase "Waise heill' to Mr. Christopher**

**Paolini.**


End file.
